final fantasy xi expansion being excluded from playstion2 users

[Volkai]

I don't think option 2 is possible. Although you can access the server through the JP and NA game, they are different games? I think I remember hearing it isn't possible to log into the japanese version with a NA account... I mean isn't that the reason our service accounts have our region on it?

As my list of options addresses hardware (and the regionlocking of hardware) but does not address accounts (aside form cancelling them), option 2 does include the possibility of starting over with a JP-region SE and POL/FFXI account.

[oliveira]

I don't think option 2 is possible. Although you can access the server through the JP and NA game, they are different games? I think I remember hearing it isn't possible to log into the japanese version with a NA account... I mean isn't that the reason our service accounts have our region on it?

You're confused, sir. The PlayOnline service was designed to allow for that.

What was impossible was MANAGE accounts with mismatched region. Meaning you would be blocked from accessing the section of Service & Support on POL Viewer which required the user to login.

Since that is obsolete now, not even that limitation exists anymore. And management is done through a website. While I have the front page in English at the SE account management site, as soon as I fill in my login everything switches "automagically" to Japanese.

[Kirito_Wind]

You're confused, sir. The PlayOnline service was designed to allow for that.

What was impossible was MANAGE accounts with mismatched region. Meaning you would be blocked from accessing the section of Service & Support on POL Viewer which required the user to login.

Since that is obsolete now, not even that limitation exists anymore. And management is done through a website. While I have the front page in English at the SE account management site, as soon as I fill in my login everything switches "automagically" to Japanese.

So if I am able to get a hard drive and all the japanese games I'll be able to log in? So I also get to keep all of my items, linkshells and characters? The only thing different is that it is in Japanese?

[Bahamut]

It is pretty amazing any mmo would drop its first customer player base of the start of thier game. Its a sign of long term death. Even if its not even cost effective to make a ps2 NA version, fact is they droped a core player base. A bad sign for any game and its future.

[Demon6324236]

It is pretty amazing any mmo would drop its first customer player base of the start of thier game. Its a sign of long term death. Even if its not even cost effective to make a ps2 NA version, fact is they droped a core player base. A bad sign for any game and its future.

Well it may not be a MMO but look at Monday Night Combat, it did something very similar and just as stupid, it started out on XBL Arcade and ended up going to Steam, then they stopped updating the Xbox almost completely and focused on the PC, and even made a new game for the PC that was not put on Xbox. In my opinion most of the time it shows life, I mean you can evolve your game, if WoW was built on the PS2 and was still as popular then they would have at some point cut it out and continued to upgrade past its limitations I'm sure. In SE's case its not even that they are doing that though, they are simply cutting their losses, which is good since they are losing a lot of money as of late it seems.

[Luvbunny]

They are not loosing money on this game, in fact - it is one of the few games they made that are making money. Enough to cover the cost of another series moniker that is being reborn again soon. I suspect all these "adjustments" are designed to provoke nerd rage and encourage people to do rash decision, and you know, perhaps try something new. Something something with the name of FF:AAR?

I heard it is shaping to be a quite good reborn again game. And the producer is really cool and totally in touch with what the player base wants and there is a great deal of transparency when it comes to communication and long term strategy. Tons of video showcasing what it could be. And the best news, it will be available on PS3!!! Possibly carried over to PS4 as well. Then there is SE world renown reputation when it comes to costumer service that you have to deal with....

[Demon6324236]

They are not loosing money on this game

As a whole, no, but if supporting PS2 players outside of JP would have lost them money because there were not enough players on PS2 outside of JP to begin with then it makes sense to cut them out and save money.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

there were not enough players on PS2 outside of JP to begin with then it makes sense to cut them out and save money.

Short term, perhaps. But in the long term this example can only serve to discourage the purchase of console versions of MMOs (/cough XIV) in the future.

[wildsprite]

Were it not for the fact FFXI runs well on Boot Camped Windows 8, I'd have had to abandon FFXI entirely as I don't trust the XBox360 structurally (see: Red Ring of Death) or any non-MacBook for various reasons. The half-measure S-E took toward PS2 was about as gutless as I've seen in a game company and left a lot of American PS2 players high and dry. There's no excuse for that, no matter the financial analysis.

no more gutless than what sony themselves did regarding the HDD addon for the US, which was practically abandoned by them from the start

QFT

They already told us, well in advance of the release, that it would not be available on the Playstation 2 system--so to see an entire post devoted to venting over something that was already clarified from the start is a waste of space IMHO.

Just sayin'.

your reason for singling out my post? my post said basically what you did but in different words